Tote handling for chilled or frozen goods

ABSTRACT

An automated order fulfillment system is disclosed having different temperature zones and robots and containers capable of and/or configured to work in these different temperature zones. Containers include insulated wall panels and a thermal insert which may be chilled to maintain a temperature within the container below ambient temperature. Structure within a storage location for the containers may be used to open and close the containers to facilitate cooling of the thermal insert.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments described herein relategenerally to an automated retail supply chain storage and retrievalsystem, and more particularly to an automated system for automatedhandling of eaches at ambient temperatures, chilled temperatures andfrozen temperatures.

BACKGROUND

An automated order fulfillment system for use in supply chains mayfulfill orders for individual product items, also referred to herein as“eaches.” Traditional order fulfillment facilities store eaches incontainers in a multi-level storage structure with a vertical andhorizontal array of storage spaces. The automated order fulfillmentsystem further includes mobile robots which move horizontally andvertically within the storage structure to transfer containers or totesto and from the storage spaces within the structure.

On occasion, it is desirable or necessary to maintain eaches atprescribed temperatures within the automated order fulfillment system,while the eaches are stored and/or as they are transported and/or whileorders are fulfilled. Some eaches need to be kept frozen or chilled forfreshness, while others can be stored or transported at ambienttemperature. It is therefore desirable to provide an automated orderfulfillment system having different temperature zones and robots andcontainers capable of working in these different temperature zones.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology relate to an automated orderfulfillment system having different temperature zones and robots andcontainers capable of and/or configured to work in these differenttemperature zones.

In one example, the present technology relates to a container fortransporting and storing goods in an automatic storage and retrievalfacility, the container comprising: sidewalls around sides of thecontainer, the sidewalls comprising one or more insulated wall panelsconfigured to insulate an interior of the container against heattransfer; and a thermal insert configured to be supported in or on oneor more of the one or more insulated wall panels, the thermal insertcomprising a material configured to maintain a temperature within thecontainer below ambient temperature.

In another example, the present technology relates to a system fortransporting and storing a container in an automatic storage andretrieval facility, the container comprising material within an interiorof the container to chill the interior of the container below ambienttemperature, the system comprising: a storage location for storing thecontainer, the storage location comprising: a cold air source configuredto cool and regenerate the material to a temperature below apredetermined phase transition temperature of the material, andstructure at the storage location configured to open a lid of thecontainer to allow access to the material within the interior of thecontainer facilitating regeneration of the material by the cold airsource.

In a further example, the present technology relates to a method fortransporting and storing a container in an automatic storage andretrieval facility, the container comprising material within an interiorof the container to chill the interior of the container below ambienttemperature, the method comprising: (a) transporting the container by amobile bot to a storage shelf; (b) transferring the container from themobile bot to the storage shelf; (c) engaging a lid of the containerwith structure within the storage location as the container istransferred into the storage location, engagement with the structureopening the lid as the container is transferred into the storagelocation; and (d) regenerating the material to a chilled phase by a coldair source while the opened container is stored at the storage location.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementationsthat solve any or all disadvantages noted in the Background.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an order fulfillment system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an order fulfillment system;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a distributed temperature regulationsystem;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a distributed temperature regulationsystem;

FIG. 5A is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 5B is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 5C is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 6A is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 6B is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 6C is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 7 is an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure;

FIG. 8A is an isometric view of a tote;

FIG. 8B is an isometric view of a tote;

FIG. 8C is an isometric view of a tote;

FIG. 9A is a top section view of a tote;

FIG. 9B is a top section view of a tote;

FIG. 9C is a partial top section view of a tote;

FIG. 10 is a top section view of a tote;

FIG. 11A is a phase change diagram;

FIG. 11B is a freezing point diagram;

FIG. 11C is a freezing point diagram;

FIG. 11D is a freezing point diagram;

FIG. 12A is an isometric view of a tote;

FIG. 12B is a schematic view of a thermostatic door;

FIG. 13A is a side view of a tote;

FIG. 13B is a side view of a tote;

FIG. 13C is a side view of a tote;

FIG. 14 is a process flow diagram;

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a tote;

FIG. 16 is a top view of a tote;

FIG. 17 is an side view of a tote;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional side view of a tote;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a corner of a tote;

FIG. 20 is an alternative enlarged cross-sectional view of corner of atote;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative tote;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a corner of the tote ofFIG. 21 ;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a further alternative tote;

FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a corner of the tote ofFIG. 23 ;

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a tote being opened and cooled at astorage location;

FIG. 26 is side view of a tote at a storage location with a ramp foropening the tote;

FIG. 27 is an end view of storage locations and a Bot for loading a toteinto one of the storage locations;

FIG. 28 is an end view of Bot having transferred a tote to left or rightstorage locations;

FIG. 29 is a flow diagram showing a cycle a tote goes through forregeneration; and

FIG. 30 is a further flow diagram showing a cycle a tote goes throughfor regeneration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a schematic plan view of orderfulfillment system 10. Order fulfillment system 10 may have features asdescribed in US Patent Publication Number US 2017/0313514 A1 dated Nov.2, 2017 and entitled “Order Fulfillment System” which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. Order fulfillment system 10 hasmultilevel tote storage and retrieval structure 20, ambient and chilledautonomous robotic vehicles or robots capable of working in ambient andchilled environments 22, 24 configured to pick, transport and place oneor more tote within the order fulfillment system, ambient 26 and chilled28 workstations configured to accommodate a picker (human, automated orotherwise) that transports one or more eaches from a tote, for example aproduct tote containing multiple common eaches to be picked, on one ofthe autonomous mobile robots to a put location, for example an ordertote that has a combination of different eaches that reflects a full orpartially fulfilled order, that may be on another of the autonomousmobile robots at the workstation, ambient and chilled transit decks 30,32 configured to support, stage and buffer the autonomous robots 22, 24between the storage and retrieval structure 20 and the workstations 26,28, dispense station 34 where totes containing fulfilled orders aredischarged from the order fulfillment apparatus and a decant or inputinterface (not shown) configured to replenish the apparatus. Here, theambient static workstation(s) 26 may be co-located with ambient storage38 and chilled static workstation 28 may be co-located with chilledstorage 40. Further, ambient and/or chilled storage may occupy one ormore full aisle. Tote storage and retrieval structure 20 may haveambient and chilled storage and retrieval structures 38, 40 that may belocated adjacent as shown or otherwise placed, for example, the chilledstorage may be located at an elevation below the ambient storagelocations where frozen locations may be at a lowest level(s) inelevation and with chilled storage at the next level(s) in elevation andambient at the next level(s) in elevation or otherwise. Alternately, thechilled and ambient storage may be arranged in any suitably appropriateway. Further, a rear mezzanine 42 may be provided for ambient andchilled storage and retrieval 38, 40 to allow a robot to be removed fromthe system to ambient, for example, bagged or isolated from chilled toambient to prevent condensation on or within the robot. Alternately ahot box transition may be provided. Chilled tote storage and retrievalstructure 40 may have chilled storage area 46 and frozen storage area 48where chilled storage area and frozen storage area may be independentlyrefrigerated and insulated, for example to 34 degrees F. and 0 degreesF. respectively. Alternately, chilled storage area 46 and frozen storagearea 48 may be further segregated with different temperature levels orwith temperature gradients sufficient to satisfy a broad range ofchilled and frozen goods. Chilled transit deck 32 may be segregated andinsulated from the ambient transit deck 30. Similarly, the interior ofchilled workstation 28 may be isolated from the picker, who may be in anambient environment picking and placing eaches from product totes toorder totes in the chilled interior of the chilled workstation.Autonomous robots 22 may move freely between the chilled transit deckand ambient deck as will be described where the two are separated byinsulated or and suitable door(s) or divider(s) that isolate the twoareas as will be described.

The autonomous robotic vehicles or robots 22, 24 may be wholly orsubstantially identical and separated into specific robot types. Toallow robots to place a tote near the next pick up tote location duringpeak periods, robots may be exposed to long durations in chilled storageor retrieval areas. As such, robots may to be segregated into A-Bots 22and C-Bots 24 where A-Bots are Ambient Bots primarily located in ambientstorage and retrieval areas and C-Bots are Chilled Bots primarilylocated in chilled storage and retrieval areas. An MCS (material controlsystem) may be provided and manages A-Bot and C-Bot watermarks with softdedications. By way of example, the MCS may be configured such that idleA-Bots may be stored in rear ambient towers of the storage and retrievalsystem or otherwise. Similarly, the MCS may be configured such that idleC-Bots may be stored in rear chilled towers of the storage and retrievalsystem or otherwise. In the embodiment shown, storage and retrievalsystem may accommodate three temperature zones; Ambient, Chilled, andFrozen as previously described. Similarly, totes may be identical orsubstantially similar but may be segregated into types, for example, toavoid condensation on products, totes may be segregated into Chilledtotes and Ambient totes.

TABLE 1 A-Bot and C-Bot domains (* indicates dash moves) Static WSDynamic Static WS Bot Type Decant Storage Deck WS Dispense A-Bot AmbientAmbient Ambient Ambient Ambient Chilled* Chilled* Frozen* C-Bot ChilledChilled Chilled Chilled NA Frozen*

As noted, robots may to be segregated into A-Bots 22 and C-Bots 24 whereA-Bots are Ambient Bots primarily located in ambient storage andretrieval areas and C-Bots are Chilled Bots primarily located in chilledstorage and retrieval areas where “primarily” denotes where the robotspends the majority but not all of the robotic vehicles time. By way ofexample, A-Bots 22 may dash into frozen and chilled storage zones toretrieve order-totes for dispense. Similarly, C-Bots 24 may dash intofrozen for product-tote retrieval and storage. As a further option,C-Bots 24 may deliver o-totes near a zone transition point (pass-throughinterlock) to limit the duration an A-Bot is in a chilled or frozenzone. Bot temperature may be monitored for Bot Transitions Between Zones(*). Here, the MCS may track and manage bots based on feedback frominternal and external temperature sensors and humidity sensors on thebot. For example, the MCS may calculate dew points (DP) from botfeedback in each temperature zone. In one aspect, bot sensors mayindicate critical surfaces are above dewpoint. When dewpoint is neared,the MCS may direct the bot to exit back into ambient. Here, the MCS maymanage the transitions, for example, with the following exemplary rulesbased on such configurable attributes as minimum entrance temperaturedelta for dash moves (ex: +10 C), move abort temperature offset forcanceling dash moves (ex: +5 C), minimum exit temperature delta for botsto enter a warmer temperature zone (ex: +2 C above DP), allowable(minimum or maximum) dwell time(s) within given zone(s) as a function ofbot type or otherwise any suitable configurable attribute(s).

Condensation mitigation may be required for the robots. For example,when going from ambient to chilled no special process may be needed.However when going from chilled to ambient there may be a need tomitigate condensation by heating the bot, for example in hot box 50.Here, hot box 50 may be a hot plate, external heaters in a “garage bay”or alternately exercising motors in a tower or otherwise. Similarly,Condensation mitigation may be required for the totes. For example, whentransitioning between tote types ambient to chilled then no specialprocess may be needed. However when transitioning between tote typeschilled to ambient there may be a need to mitigate condensation byallowing the tote to heat up to or close to ambient temperature, forexample, by letting the tote sit for a duration before allowing use.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , there is shown a schematic plan view of orderfulfillment system 100. Order fulfillment system 100 may have featuresas described with respect to order fulfillment system 10 except system100 treats chilled and frozen storage differently as compared to thatdescribed with respect to system where totes are provided that areinternally cooled by a distributed cooling system as will be described.Here, there is not a requirement for chilled robots, chilledworkstations or isolated and chilled transit decks by way of example.Order fulfillment system 100 has multilevel tote storage and retrievalstructure 110, ambient autonomous robotic vehicles or robots 112, 114configured to pick, transport and place one or more tote (chilled,frozen or ambient) within the order fulfillment system 100, ambientworkstations 116, 118 configured to accommodate a picker (human,automated or otherwise) that transports one or more eaches from anytote, for example a product tote containing multiple common eaches to bepicked, on one of the autonomous mobile robots to a put location, forexample an order tote on a robot that has a combination of differenteaches that reflects a full or partially fulfilled order of acombination of frozen, chilled and/or ambient eaches, that may be onanother of the autonomous mobile robots at the workstation, ambienttransit decks 120 configured to support, stage and buffer the autonomousrobots 112, 114 between the storage and retrieval structure 110 and theworkstations 116, 118, dispense station 122 where totes containingfulfilled orders are discharged from the order fulfillment apparatus 100and a decant or input interface (not shown) configured to replenish theapparatus. Here, there is no distinction between ambient and chilledworkstations where only ambient workstation 116, 118 need be provided.Multilevel tote storage and retrieval structure 110 may have one or morefull aisle 124 dedicated to ambient totes as well as one or more fullaisle 126 dedicated to configurable ambient, chilled or frozen totes.The ambient and configurable structure 110 may have ambient 124 andchilled 126 tote storage that may be located adjacent as shown orotherwise placed as previously described. Alternately, the configurablechilled and ambient storage may be arranged in any suitably appropriateway. Further, a rear mezzanine 130 may be provided to allow an ambientrobot to be removed from the system 100. The configurableambient/chilled/frozen tote storage and retrieval structure 126 may beconfigured with distributed cooling to chill passive (or active as willbe described) totes that are configured for chilled or frozen eaches aswill be described. Transit decks 120, storage areas 110 and robots 112,114 in the disclosed embodiment of system 100 need not be segregated andinsulated as described with respect to system 10.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , there is shown a schematic view of adistributed temperature regulation system 200. System 200 resides inbuilding or enclosure 210 where the building or enclosure internaltemperature and humidity is at least partially regulated by anenvironmental control system such as building HVAC system 212 withexternal makeup air inlet 214 and where building or enclosure 210 mayhouse system 100 (not shown) and isolate and insulate the internalambient environment 216 of building 210 from external ambientenvironment 218. Here the isolation may be by structural elements,insulation and vapor barriers or otherwise. Distributed internal toteenvironment regulation and control system 230 is shown internal tobuilding 210 and may have multiple independent control loops 232, 234configured to control the internal environment of totes 236, 238, forexample, temperature and humidity. Although distributed internal toteenvironment regulation and control system 230 is described internal tobuilding 210, there may be aspects to system 230 that may be external tobuilding 210, for example, condensers may be provided external tobuilding 210 that service one or more evaporator coils in independentlycontrolled loops 232, 234; by way of further example, drains may beprovided for liquid or condensate from dehumidification or defrosting asrequired. Systems 230 and 212 cooperate to reduce or eliminatecondensation within totes 236, 238 and external to totes 236, 238 bymanaging humidity and maintaining the temperature within and external tothe totes above the dew point of the air that potentially condensingsurfaces are exposed to. Exemplary loop 232 is provided to control theinternal environment of totes 236. Here, totes 236 may be insulated aswill be described. Alternately, totes 236 may simply be enclosed plastictotes with slots or perforations at opposing ends such that chilled airis injected on one end and expelled on the other end. Loop 232 maycontrol temperature of one or more totes, for example, loop 232 maycontrol the temperature of a 6×6 rack of 36 totes where multiple loopsare required to control multiple racks of totes. Loop 232 has fan andevaporator coil 240, recirculating duct 242, makeup air or return duct244, filter 246, airflow regulators 248 and tote exhausts 250. Fan andevaporator coil 240 may be provided with a dedicated TXV that isprovided to maintain a constant setpoint in the duct loop in combinationwith a remote condenser unit (not shown). Further, fan and evaporatorcoil 240 may be provided with a dedicated electronic TXV or STV that isprovided to maintain a constant temperature setpoint in the duct loop incombination with a remote condenser. Here, the electronic TXV's can bothmaintain a temperature (by cycling on/off or running the coil partiallydry) and also provide level control. Alternately, a Suction ThrottlingValve may be provided to regulate the evaporator pressure or a VFDcompressor. Alternately, fan and evaporator coil 240 may be providedwith more than one dedicated TXV that is provided to selectivelymaintain multiple setpoints in the duct loop in combination with aremote condenser unit, for example, selectable between a chilled orfrozen setpoint such that loop 232 may service either totes containingchilled goods or frozen goods as storage requirements change based ondemand, seasonally or otherwise. Recirculating duct 242 and makeup airor return duct 244 may be formed such that they may be readilyretrofitted to tote support structures and may be insulated to preventunwanted condensation on the surfaces exposed to ambient. Airflowregulators 248 may be provided as commercially available “constant flowair regulators” where chilled air is expelled at a constant flowregardless of whether a tote is present or not. Alternately, airflowregulators 248 may be actively controlled valves such as butterflyvalves that may selectively provide chilled air to totes or the ambientenvironment. Alternately, airflow regulators 248 may be valves thatpassively are opened and closed as a function of tote presence as willbe described. Airflow regulators 248 provide dry chilled air to andthrough the interior of totes 236 where the chilled air absorbs heatthat is absorbed by the tote from ambient and is expelled through toteexhausts 250. Chilled air expelled by exhausts 250 may be routed back toreturn duct 244 or alternately wholly or partially may be expelled intoambient environment 216, for example, as dry air to reduce humidity inambient environment 216. Here, chilled air absorbs heat that is absorbedby the tote from ambient and is expelled through tote exhausts 250.Alternately, the “tote exhaust” may be passive leakage thru the tote lidwhere alternatively, the lid on the tote may provide a sufficient leakpath to provide a suitable tote exhaust. Similarly, for example, whereairflow regulators 248 are provided as “constant flow air regulators”where chilled air is expelled at a constant flow regardless of whether atote is present or not, the chilled air expelled may be routed back toreturn duct 244 or alternately wholly or partially may be expelled intoambient environment 216, for example, as dry air to reduce humidity inambient environment 216. Return duct 244 may be configured as a closedloop for air within loop 232 and through exhausts 250 with no makeup airfrom ambient. Alternately, return duct 244 may at last partially intakeambient air from environment 216. Filter 246 may be provided as a HEPAor other suitable filter. Further filter 246 may be provided to controlchemical or bacterial elements. By way of example, filter 246 may beprovided as an ultraviolet light filter where the residency time ofreturn air is controlled to eliminate the potential for bacterialcontamination within environmental control system 212. Further, incombination with filter 246, an additional evaporator coil may beprovided, for example to dehumidify or prechill the air entering intoloop 232.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , there is shown a schematic view of a loop of adistributed temperature regulation system 300. Loop 300 may controltemperature of one or more totes, for example, loop 300 may control thetemperature of totes 310 and 312 where totes 310 have a temperaturesetpoint different than that of totes 312. As will be described, two ormore evaporator units may be provided to selectively control thetemperature of a subset up to all of the totes in the loop, for example,all of the totes in the loop may selectively be maintained in a frozenor chilled condition. Alternately, a subset of the totes in the loop mayselectively be maintained in a frozen or chilled condition with theremaining totes being maintained in the opposing condition. Loop 300 hasfirst and second fan and evaporator coils 314, 316, circulating duct318, makeup air or return duct 320, filter 322, tote airflow regulators324, duct airflow regulators 326, heater(s) or chiller(s) 328 and toteexhausts 334. Although the duct airflow regulators may be on/off dampersthat would either select air source 314 or 316; in alternate aspectsthey may be used as regulators to mix the two airflows to achieveintermediate temperatures. Here, they may be used as either blocking ormodulating dampers where mixed airflows would utilize the addition ofduct temperature sensors 341 may be provided. Here, the dampers may alsobe closed to isolate unused sections of the duct to reduce energyconsumption. One or more heater or chiller coil(s) 328 may be providedwithin loop 300 to elevate temperature over a portion of loop 300, forexample, where different temperatures for chilled goods are required agradient may selectively be provided within duct 318. Fan and evaporatorcoil 314 may be provided to maintain a constant setpoint in the ductloop in combination with a remote condenser unit (not shown). Similarly,fan and evaporator coil 316 may be provided to maintain a constantsetpoint in the duct loop in combination with a remote condenser unit(not shown) where the setpoint is different from that in coil 314. Byway of example, fan and evaporator coil 314 may be set for a chilledsetpoint and fan and evaporator coil 316 may be set for a frozensetpoint such that the portion of loop 300 exposed to the airflow of fanand evaporator coil 314 may be maintained chilled and the remainingportion of loop 300 exposed to the airflow of fan and evaporator coil316 may be maintained frozen. Here, duct airflow regulators 326 may beselectively opened or closed to selectively isolate portions of duct 318to maintain chilled or frozen totes. In an extreme, all of the ductairflow regulators 326 may be opened one of first and second fan andevaporator coils 314, 316 may be run with the other off to maintain theentire loop in either a chilled or frozen state. Recirculating duct 318and makeup air or return duct 320 may be formed such that they may bereadily retrofitted to tote support structures and may be insulated toprevent unwanted condensation on the surfaces exposed to ambient.Airflow regulators 324 may be provided as commercially available“constant flow air regulators” where chilled air is expelled at aconstant flow regardless of whether a tote is present or not. Airflowregulators 324 provide dry chilled air to and through the interior oftotes 310, 312 where the chilled air absorbs heat that is absorbed bythe tote from ambient and is expelled through tote exhausts 334. Chilledair expelled by exhausts 334 may be routed back to return duct 320 oralternately wholly or partially may be expelled into ambient environment216, for example, as dry air to reduce humidity in ambient environment216. Return duct 320 may be configured as a closed loop for air withinloop 300 and through exhausts 334 with no makeup air from ambient.Alternately, return duct 320 may at last partially intake ambient airfrom environment 216. Filter 322 may be provided as a HEPA or othersuitable filter. Further filter 322 may be provided to control chemicalor bacterial elements. By way of example, filter 322 may be provided asan ultraviolet light filter where the residency time of return air iscontrolled to eliminate the potential for bacterial contamination withinenvironmental control system 300. Further, in combination with filter322, an additional evaporator coil may be provided, for example todehumidify or prechill the air entering into loop 300.

Structure is provided to support the totes and bots that access themthat may be provided in a modular fashion where structure sub modulesare pre-assembled and provided mounted adjacent and stacked with eachother to form the overall storage structure 110. It can be appreciatedthat the evaporators, fans, ducts and otherwise can also be fabricatedin a modular fashion and combined with the sub modules pre-assembledalso. Here by way of non-limiting example, a substructure may have 6levels and 72 tote storage locations accessible by bots. One or moreevaporator modules may be assembled with the substructure and associatedducting, valving and otherwise packaged with the sub module such thatthe sub module may be shipped integrated and installed as an integratedsub module.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, there is shown an isometric section view ofchilled storage structure 350. Referring also to FIG. 5B, there is showna partial isometric section view of chilled storage structure 350.Referring also to FIG. 5C, there is shown a partial isometric sectionview of chilled storage structure 350. Chilled storage structure 350 hasASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval) portion 352 and insulated portion354. ASRS portion 352 has multilevel rack structure 352′ with totestorage nests 356 on opposing sides of Bot aisle 358. Storage andretrieval robots (Bots) 360 move horizontally and climb verticallywithin structure 352 and are configured to place/store and pick/retrievetotes from the nests 356 in structure 352. Totes within structure 352may be “product totes” having common eaches in storage as inventory aswell as “order totes” that have eaches that may be common or mixed butmaking up all or a portion of a customer order to be fulfilled. Theinterior of the insulated enclosure, or portion, 354 may be conditionedspace, for example, chilled or frozen space. Chilled storage volume 362within insulated portion 354 may be further segregated with differenttemperature levels or with temperature gradients sufficient to satisfy abroad range of chilled and frozen goods as will be described. One methodof segregating different temperature levels within volume 362 is toemploy at some level natural stratification of the air within volume362. Thermal stratification is the layering of differing (typicallyincreasing) air temperatures from floor to ceiling. Stratification iscaused by hot air rising up to the ceiling or roof space because it islighter than the surrounding cooler air. Conversely, cool air falls tothe floor as it is heavier than the surrounding warmer air. Temperaturedifferentials, for example, 1.5° C. per vertical foot or otherwise mayoccur. The higher the ceiling, the more extreme this temperaturedifferential can be. Other variables that influence the level of thermalstratification include heat generated within or through the volume andprocesses present, insulation of the space from outside of the chilledspace, the HVAC system(s), location of supply and return ducts or fans,and vertical air movement inside the space. As seen better in FIG. 5B(with the structure removed for clarity) barrier which may be aninsulated barrier 364 may be provided effectively splitting volume 362into upper and lower volumes 366 and 368 respectively. To maximizeefficiency the lower volume 368 may be frozen and the upper volume 366may be chilled. By arranging the frozen and chilled storage as shown,the temperature gradient across barrier 364 is reduced as compared tothe gradient between insulated enclosure 354 and the ambient airsurrounding it. Openings 370 may be provided to allow Bots 360 totraverse vertically between volumes 366 and 368. Openings 370 may beprovided for example between a chilled volume and a frozen volumeallowing bots to move vertically between the volumes. Similarly,openings may be between ambient and chilled volumes that may be eithervertically accessed or horizontally accessed. Opening 370 may have amoveable door and is arranged horizontally to take advantage ofstratification keeping the colder air in the freezer section 368. Anenvironmental control system, such as evaporator/fans 372, 374, may beprovided to separately regulate temperature and humidity within volumes366, 368 where natural stratification may further provide varyingtemperature zones. Alternately one or more additional barriers 378 withevaporator/fan 380 may be provided to further segregate volumes withinvolume 362. Insulated enclosure 354 may be provided in multiple segmentsthat are modular with respect to structure 352 and may be coupled tostructure 352 with brackets 382. Here, as structure 352 is erected,corresponding modular portions 384 of insulated enclosure 354 may beerected in parallel.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, there is shown an isometric section view of achilled storage structure 350′. Referring also to FIG. 6B, there isshown an isometric section view of a chilled storage structure 350′.Referring also to FIG. 6C, there is shown an isometric section view of achilled storage structure 350′. Chilled structure 350′ has similarfeatures as structure 350 but employing barriers 386 where barriers 386may be thin air barriers such as plastic film. Alternately, barriers 386may be perforated or vented to act as barriers to maintain a temperaturegradient in combination with natural stratification or otherwise.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , there is shown an isometric section view ofchilled storage structure 350″. Chilled structure 350″ may have similarfeatures as structures 350, 350′. Chilled or regulated storage structure350″ has outer (traditionally ambient) store or warehouse space 388 thatis kept near average US temperature of 10 deg C. or so. This is achievedby providing a vapor barrier, and insulation 390 to the outsideenvironment 392. Keeping this Outer Environment 388 cool and dry has theadvantage of minimizing condensation on products retrieved from Inner(chilled or frozen) Environment 394. Openings 396 may be provided forBots to pass between the Outer 388 and inner 394 environments where anylosses of cold dry air from the inner environment 394 simply helpcondition the outer environment 388 to the dry, cool state. The outerenvironment 388 may be kept as a slightly positive pressure; e.g. 0.5 Pato the outside 392 in order to assist in maintaining the dry outerenvironment minimizing migration from environment 392 to environment388. As doors 396′ to the outside will occasionally open, make-up airmay be brought in and conditioned by the environmental control system398 mounted on top of the outer environment 388. The above has theadvantage of minimizing operating cost by keeping the outer environment388 close to average US temperature and minimizing the impact of heatinfiltration between the outer and inner environments. Environments 392,388 and 394 are nested as shown where in alternate aspects, furthernesting, arranging, stacking or otherwise arranging the environments maybe provided.

Referring now to FIG. 8A, there is shown an isometric view of tote 400.Referring also to FIG. 8B, there is shown an isometric view of tote 400.Referring also to FIG. 8C, there is shown an isometric view of tote 400.Tote 400 has tote enclosure 410, tote lid 412 and tote liner 414. Toteenclosure further has chilled air inlet 416 and chilled air exhaust 418as will be described in greater detail. Lid 412 may be hinged as shownwith respect to enclosure 410 such that, for example, an operator canselectively access chilled or frozen eaches contained within tote 400.In alternate aspects, lid 412 may be hinged or have no hinge, forexample, where automated or human workstations are provided a mechanismmay be provided to automatically open lid 412 for pick access. Such amechanism may include lid grasping such as suction cups and lid removalsuch as a vertical pneumatic cylinder or other suitable actuator thatmay selectively remove and replace lid 412. Lid 412 and enclosure 410may be insulated such that heat losses from ambient may be minimized andcondensation on the exterior may be minimized. The insulation may beconventional, by vacuum enclosure or otherwise. By way of example, theinsulation may be provided as an insulated insert to insulate aconventional plastic tote and further accept insert liner 414 with theinsulated insert. Liner 414 has dividers 422, 424 that divide a supplyduct 426 from an exhaust duct 428 formed between the exterior body ofinsert liner 414 and the interior body of enclosure 410 as will bedescribed in greater detail. Inlet 430 and exhaust 432 perforations ininsert liner 414 are provided to allow air to pass from supply duct 426to exhaust duct 428 through the eaches in the interior of tote 400.

Referring now to FIG. 9A, there is shown a top section view of tote 400with stationary inlet 440 and exhaust 442 ducts before tote 400 engagesthe ducts 440, 442. Referring also to FIG. 9B, there is shown a topsection view of tote 400 with stationary inlet 440 and exhaust 442 ductsafter tote 400 engages the ducts 440, 442. Referring also to FIG. 9Cthere is shown a partial top section view of tote 400 engaged with duct440, 442. Tote enclosure 410 is shown with inlet 416 and exhaust 418where inlet 416 has insulated door 444 and exhaust 418 has insulateddoor 446. Similarly inlet duct 440 has insulated door 450 and exhaustduct 442 has insulated door 452. The 4 insulated doors are providedinsulated to prevent condensation when closed and are normally springloaded closed when not engaged as seen in FIG. 9A. When engaged, the 4insulated doors open as shown in FIG. 9B and FIG. 9C such that themating tapered surfaces disengage providing a passageway allowing supplyand exhaust air to flow. Monitoring devices such as temperature and/orhumidity may be provided, for example, within exhaust duct 442 or it'sinsulated door to monitor the environmental state of the tote.

Referring now to FIG. 10 , there is shown a top section view of tote 500with stationary inlet 440 and exhaust 442 ducts after tote 500 engagesthe ducts 440, 442. Tote 500 has similar features as tote 400 with theexception of the dividers and perforations in the liner where air iscirculated between the liner and the insulated enclosure without beingflowed through the interior of the liner over the eaches. Here, theliner is maintained at the desired temperature to maintain the eachescontained within the liner at a desired temperature. Tote 500 hasenclosure 510 and liner 512 where enclosure 510 has inlet 514 andexhaust 516. Liner 512 is shown having divider 518 to isolate the inletfrom the outlet. Although a single divider 518 is shown for simplicity,it can be appreciated the divider may form a duct from the inlet to theoutlet that circulates the chilled air around enclosure 510 includingthe floor and ceiling of enclosure 510. Air is induced through the inlet514 and circulated 530 around liner 512 to exhaust 516. Divider 518 isas shown for simplicity but it can be appreciated that divider 518 maybe provided in different geometries on the sides, below and above insert512 in order to provide uniform circulation around insert 512 and toprovide uniform temperature of insert 512. Here, enclosure 510 may befabricated from thermally insulating materials such as plastic and foamwhereas liner 512 may be fabricated from thermally conductive materialssuch as aluminum or stainless steel sheet to facilitate temperatureuniformity across liner 512. In alternate aspects chilled pack(s) 530may be provided for use, for example, where tote 500 is used fortransient storage (such as when an order is being fulfilled outside ofthe chilled ASRS utilizing tote 500. Here, chilled pack(s) 530 may beprovided in the walls, base or lid of tote 500 (or as part of or withinenclosure 510) and may hold a substantially constant temperature, forexample 34 F, −10 F or otherwise. Here pack(s) 530 may be gel or othersuitable packs, for example using water with some sort of salt tosuppress the freezing point and form it into a gel so that it does notleak if the pack rips. Alternately, any suitable chilled pack may beprovided to maintain ambient temperature within tote 500 for transientstorage.

Disclosed to this point are passive control systems for cooler toteswhich are chilled by maintaining the environment around the totes at acontrolled temperature. In such passive control cooled totes, the totesmay be provided with chilled air replenish ports and distributedchilling at the storage location which stays at the storage or dispenselocation. The interior of the cooler tote may have a thermocouple and RFInterface with setpoint by SKU. Alternately that thermocouple may beprovided on a bayonet in the return manifold and the setpointestablished by the MCS by SKU (stock keeping unit which is a productidentifying number). Passive cooler totes can be stored in tote nestsand dispatched like any other ambient SKU. The chilled tote can bestored at ambient with chilled air replenish and setpoint at the nest asdescribed. Within the tote, supply and return can be designed to flowchilled air over SKUs, for example, designed as a grate in the linerover a substantial surface area so the SKU doesn't block it.Alternately, the interior of the liner can be solid and the chilled aircan be circulated between the interior surface of the tote and theexterior of the liner in the insulated tote enclosure. Clean andbacteria free air may be used to prevent condensation and crosscontamination. Active tote alternatives will be disclosed further below.

In alternate aspects, an active control system may be provided, wherethe tote is actively cooled by components within the tote forenvironmental regulation of eaches contained within tote. Tote 600 maybe configured as a “cooler tote” where tote 600 is built as an insulatedenclosure like a cooler where a chilled insert/ice pack is provided.Alternately, tote 600 may be a standard tote with a cooler insert wherethe cooler drops into the tote with product in it. Alternately tote 600may be a thermoelectric cooler based tote with docking power.Alternately tote 600 may have a chill port with a supply and return forchilled air or fluid such as CDA (clean or cooled dry air), LN2 orchilled glycol that can be injected to the interior of the enclosure orto a high heat capacity plate or otherwise. In one embodiment, chilledtote 600 may be a cooler with a foam cooler molded to fit in tote orsub-tote that has four pieces; base, locking frozen or chilledinsert/ice pack, walls that lock the insert in place and a lid thatcomes off when tote is accessed. Here, the lid may interlock with toteaccess port and be automatically replaced when the access port isclosed. Note that chilled totes may be precooled in the interior onlysuch that condensation is minimized as well as heat loss upon insertionof chilled goods.

Referring now to FIG. 11A, there is shown an exemplary phase changediagram 650. Safe food handling practices recommend storing chilled andfrozen products within an upper and lower temperature range.Transportation of refrigerated foods may be accomplished in an insulatedcooler, where the temperature is maintained using a substance that isundergoing a phase change to absorb heat. Typical phase change materialsare water solutions containing salts or expendable refrigerants such asdry ice where the phase change temperature may be lower than theintended storage temperature. By way of example, in the case of dry ice,that temperature is fixed at −78.5° C., while in the case of saltsolutions the salt concentration is selected to enable a phase change ata colder temperature than to objects to be refrigerated. The benefit ofa phase change material is that a substantial amount of energy can beabsorbed at constant temperatures as shown in FIG. 11A. Here, as energyis absorbed between solid 652 and liquid 654 states, the temperatureremains more consistent or constant 656 despite the amount of energyabsorbed. Referring also to FIG. 11B, there is shown an exemplaryfreezing point diagram 670. Referring also to FIG. 11C, there is shownan exemplary freezing point diagram 672. Referring also to FIG. 11D,there is shown an exemplary freezing point diagram 674. In the case ofpure water, phase change occurs at 0° C. and 1 kg of ice requires 333 kJof heat to convert it to water. In contrast 1 kg of water requires only4.2 kJ to raise its temperature by 1° C., so phase change may be asignificantly more practical technique for absorbing heat. AddingPropylene glycol (PG in FIG. 11C), Ethylene glycol (EG in FIG. 11C),glycerin (FIG. 11B) or salt or salt solution such as potassium formate(FIG. 11D) to water suppresses the freezing point as shown on the charts11B-11D. Usually the latent heat of fusion is decreased in the watermixtures, but the flexibility to easily select the desired phase changetemperature is a benefit. By way of example, in dry ice applications,dry ice is allowed to sublime and the waste CO2 gas release to theatmosphere. Phase change fluids are stored in plastic bags or sealedaluminum cans and are retained as they go thru phase change cycles. Thequantity of phase change material required is a function of theinsulation effectiveness, internal to external differential temperature,required duration and any heat load from warm objects placed in thecooler. For maximum effective duration the differential temperatureshould be minimized, so refrigerating below the target temperature isundesirable as it increases the heat gain. This may be for example,significant with dry ice when it is used to achieve freezertemperatures. As an example, given typical freezer temperatures of −20°C. and ambient temperatures of +25° C., the required ΔT is 45° C., butusing dry ice increases the ΔT to 103° C. which may be a 228% increasein heat rate. In practice, the internal temperature may be warmer than−78° C. but the heat gain is still significantly higher than required toachieve normal freezer temperatures. If food or chilled content iswarmer than the target temperature when it is placed in the cooler thenit presents a heat load, and additional phase change and heat transferis required to restore equilibrium. This may require a lower phasechange temperature to enable the heat transfer, and this in turnincreases the steady state heat gain. In insulated coolers, the ratio ofinternal volume to external volume is a compromise, with the goal ofmaximizing the internal space used for storing food, and minimizing theoverall external volume to reduce transportation costs. The differencebetween external and internal volume may typically be used forinsulation and the phase change material. The insulation may be urethaneor polystyrene foam by way of non-limiting example, which is the mostcost effective material for most food transport applications, but oftenrequires by way of non-limiting example, 25 to 50 mm or otherwise ofwall thickness in a practical solution. Here, decreasing the thicknesswould increase heat gain, requiring significantly more phase changematerial, and potential to create hot spots within the food or contentstorage environment. Increasing the thickness on the other hand reducesthe internal volume or increase the external size of the cooler, as wellas increasing cost.

Referring now to FIG. 12A, there is shown an isometric view of tote 700.Tote 700 has tote lid 710 and tote body 712. Coupled to tote lid 710 isphase change enclosure 714 having vent holes 716 and thermostatic door718. Enclosure 714 is configured to accept phase change material orinsert 720. Tote 700 employs a technique for controlling the temperatureinside the tote. In one embodiment, the enclosure 714 is a mechanicalenclosure that passively actuates between a closed position at a firsttemperature where the phase change material is shielded from theinterior of the container, and an open position at a second temperaturewhere the phase change material is exposed to the interior of thecontainer, the second temperature being higher than the firsttemperature. Passive actuation may be accomplished using atemperature-sensitive material in a thermostatically controlled door asexplained below.

Insulated tote 700 is shown with Phase change material or insert 720which may be dry ice or other suitable material located in an enclosurewithin or under lid 710. Thermostatic door 718 is employed as will bedescribed such that tote 700 actively regulates the temperature insideas a temperature controlled food or other content storage tote where aphase change material 720 such as dry ice is located in enclosure 714under the lid 710. The enclosure 714 may be fabricated from a poorconductor such as plastic or thin foam, which limits the ability of thedry ice to cool the tote. Vent holes 716 in the bottom of the enclosure714 allow cold air to flow out 725 of the enclosure where thethermostatically controlled door 718 is located such that the door 718can partially block the holes 716. Referring also to FIG. 12B, there isshown a schematic view of a thermostatic door 718 and alternatethermostatic door 718′. Thermostatically controlled door 718 has doorportion 730 may also be fabricated from a poor conductor such as plasticor thin foam, which limits the ability of the dry ice to cool the tote.Thermostatically controlled door 718 has coil spring portion 732 withthe inner end of the coil coupled to lid 710 and the outer end of thecoil coupled to door portion 730. Door portion 730 is positioned usingspring portion 732 which may be a bimetal spring that senses the uppertote temperature and opens by rotation 740 of the door 730 when warm andcloses it when cold. Alternately, thermostatically controlled door 718′may have coil spring portion 732′ with the inner end of the coil coupledto lid 710′ and the outer end of the coil coupled to door portion 730′.Door portion 730′ is positioned using spring portion 732 which may be abimetal spring that senses the upper tote temperature and opens byconstrained linear sliding 740′ of the door 730′ when warm and closes itwhen cold. This enables the use of a phase change material that issubstantially cooler than normal freezer temperatures. The totetemperature is regulated at an optimal temperature, which minimizes thedifference in temperature to ambient, reducing heat gain and extendingthe life of the phase change material. Locating the phase changematerial in the lid has several features. One feature is where the coldsource may be located above the food or contents to be cooled, allowingcool air to flow down by convection. Another feature is where thethermostatic element is situated at the warmest part of the tote, andtherefore any stratification within the tote does not artificially lowerthe temperature control measurement. In addition, the lid can easily beremoved and replaced to extend the duration of the cooling and allow forregeneration of the phase change material in the lid separately. By wayof example, in the case of dry ice, because of evaporation, the materialneeds to be replaced. For salt solutions, the insert or the insertwithin entire lid may be placed in a mechanical freezer that ismaintained at −30 to −40° C., and thus allows the phase changetemperature to be significantly colder than the tote temperature.Referring also to FIG. 13A, there is shown a side view of tote 700 as asection view of tote body 712 and lid 710. Phase change material orinsert 720 is provided in lid 710 with thermostatic door 718 utilized toisolate the interior of tote 700 from the phase change material 720.Referring also to FIG. 13B, there is shown a side view of tote 700 witha warm interior and with the thermostatic door 718 open by rotation 740allowing cold air from the holes in the enclosure to flow 744 into thetote. Referring also to FIG. 13C, there is shown a side view of tote 700with a cold interior and with the thermostatic door 730 closing byrotation 740 restricting or blocking airflow from the holes in theenclosure. In operation, there may also be return air vents or holes andthe above described temperature regulation would be accomplished withthe tote closed over time.

Referring now to FIG. 14 , there is shown process flow diagram 800 forautomated fulfilment of temperature-sensitive eaches, such as forexample goods that should be maintained in a chilled or frozen state. In810, decant of chilled and/or frozen goods takes place where chilledand/or frozen goods are removed from pallets in cases, removed from thecases and inserted into product totes for induction into the system byBots. In 812, the product totes containing chilled and/or frozen goodsare stored within the storage structure as inventory. In 814, an orderis received for one or more of the chilled and/or frozen goods. In 816,one or more order totes is dispatched to a workstation by a Bot toreceive the order. In 818, one or more product totes is dispatched tothe workstation by a Bot to fulfill the order where eaches of inventoryare successively picked 820 from the product tote(s) and placed in theorder tote(s) to fulfill the order. If the customer or recipient of theorder is not ready 822, the order tote(s) are transported 824 to coldstorage until the order is ready for pickup. If the customer orrecipient of the order is ready 822, the lid or other cooling device 826is placed on or coupled to the tote and the order tote(s) aretransported 828 for pickup and fulfillment 830 where the tote(s) areemptied of the order. In 832 the empty order totes are transported backto the structure for storage where the storage may be chilled storageand where in 834 the lid and/or inserts are re-chilled and regeneratedeither with the tote or separately from the tote.

Referring now to FIG. 15 , there is shown an isometric view of tote 850.Referring also to FIG. 16 , there is shown a top view of tote 850.Referring also to FIG. 17 , there is shown an end view of tote 850.While the term “tote” is used herein, it is understood that the tote 850may be any of various receptacles, canisters or other containers fortransporting and storing goods, including goods to be transported andstored at different temperatures as explained below. Tote 850 has toteenclosure 852, tote lid 854 and insulated interior as will be describedin greater detail. Lid 854 may be hinged with hinges 856 as shown withrespect to enclosure 852. In alternate aspects, lid 854 may be hinged orhave no hinge. Lid 854 and enclosure 852 may be insulated such that heatlosses from ambient may be minimized and condensation on the exteriormay be minimized as will be described in greater detail. The insulationmay be conventional, by vacuum enclosure or otherwise. By way ofexample, the insulation may be provided as an insulated insert toinsulate a conventional plastic tote and further accept a chilled orpassive liner as will be described in greater detail. RFID temperaturesensors 858 may be provided on the tote. In the embodiment shown, RFIDsensors 858 are shown at opposing ends of tote 850 where a Bot with anRFID reader may read the RFID sensor for tote identification and/or forother purposes, for example, for reading temperature within or outsideof tote 850 where RFID sensor 858 may be a passive temperature sensorenabled by the RFID reader on the Bot. Such a passive temperature sensormay sense temperature with a thermistor or other temperature sensorconnected to circuitry and the RFID antenna. Such sensors arecommercially available from RFID suppliers such as Metalcraft located inMason City, Iowa. In alternate aspects, one or more passive RFID tagsand/or sensors may be provided, for example, for temperature,identification, humidity, moisture detection or otherwise within orexternal to the tote assembly. Tabs 864 are provided as part of lid 854for the purpose of opening the lid, either by a person or in anautomated fashion as will be described in greater detail. Tabs 864 maybe formed of the same material as lid 854 or may alternately be rollersthat interact with a cam or other active or passive mechanism to openlid 854. Although two tabs 864 are shown, more or less may be provided.

Referring now to FIG. 18 , there is shown a cross section view of tote850. Referring also to FIG. 19 , there is shown a partial cross sectionview of the upper left-hand corner of tote 850 as shown in FIG. 18 .Tote 850 further has insulating wall panels 870, insulating floor panel872 and insulating lid panel 874. Insulating panels may also be providedon the two opposing ends of the tote 850 such that the contents withintote 850 are completely or substantially surrounded by insulating panelsor insulation. Although panels 870, 872 are shown as separate panels, aunitary construction may be provided for insulation where separatepanels need not be provided. Panels 870 are shown of a uniform thicknesswhere in alternate embodiments the thickness may vary, for example fromtop to bottom. Although panels 870, 872 are shown the same thickness,panels 870, 872 may be of differing thicknesses. Similarly, panels 870,872 and 874 may all be of differing thicknesses or the same thickness.Gasket 878 is shown bonded or fastened to the top portion of insulatingpanel 870 where gasket 878 substantially or completely seals thecircumference of lid 854 to the insulated enclosure to prevent heatleakage when lid 854 is closed. Gasket 878 may be a refrigerator type orany suitable type of gasket made from EPDM, neoprene or other suitablematerial that seals against lid 854 by compression, magnetic attractionor otherwise. In the case of magnetic attraction, a metallic insert (notshown) may be provided with lid 854 that interfaces with seal or gasket878. In alternate aspects, gasket 878 may be bonded or otherwisefastened to lid 854 and seal against panel 870. Tote 850 furthercomprises a thermal insert 882, also referred to herein as simply insert882. Insert 882 has a cavity 884 within the insert 882. An insert 882with cavity 884 is provided on and covers each of the panels 870 so thatthe inserts 882 and cavities 884 substantially surround an interior ofthe tote 850. Insert 882 is shown having floor 886 that protects panel872 against damage, for example from eaches within the tote 850. Gap 888(FIG. 19 ) may be provided between the exterior surface(s) of insert 882and the interior surfaces of insulating panel(s) 870, 872. This gap maybe any suitable size and is provided to promote air circulation aroundthe exterior and interior surfaces of insert 882 such that when thephase change material contained within insert 882 is regenerated,chilled air is exposed to the surfaces of insert 882 that surround thephase change material to minimize the amount of time it takes toregenerate the phase change material within insert 882. Insert 882 maybe made from any suitable material, for example, aluminum, PVC orpolypropylene. The cavity 884 in insert 882 may be filled with asuitable material 890 such as a phase change material to maintain agiven set temperature point or range within tote 850. The phase changematerial may be tailored to have a phase transition temperature ofdegree F. for a frozen storage temperature window of 0 to 5 degrees F.Similarly, the phase change material may be tailored to have a phasetransition temperature of 35 degrees F. for a chilled storagetemperature window of 34 to 40 degrees F. Alternately any suitable phasetransition temperature and storage temperature window may be provided.In alternate aspects, insert 882 may not contain a phase change materialand instead may be made in whole or in part of suitable material withsufficient thermal capacity to maintain temperature within tote 850.Insert 882 in combination with a suitable material 890 such as a phasechange material has among others, features of note:

-   -   1. As the phase change material is positioned between the eaches        and the insulation, thus exposing the eaches directly to the        phase change material temperature, the phase transition        temperature may be set equal to the setpoint temperature within        the tote;    -   2. Provides a uniform media to maintain uniform temperature        within tote 850;    -   3. Provides a large surface area to facilitate efficient        regeneration of material 890;    -   4. Provides for a removeable liner or insert that is easily        cleaned and disinfected; and    -   5. Protects the insulation, for example vacuum insulated panels        870 from damage by the contents within tote 850.        Regarding point 1 above, by putting the phase transition        material at substantially all insulated panels, the eaches are        only exposed to the phase transition temperature of the inserts        on all such panels. Any gradient to the ambient is isolated        external to the inserts (across the insulating panels). This        enables the use of the phase transition temperature as the        setpoint. Conventionally, heat which enters a tote across        insulated panels does not hit the “phase transition” barrier,        and thus the temperature of the eaches is exposed to these        internal gradients. Although material 890 is shown surrounding        the interior walls of tote 850, in alternate aspects material        890 may also surround or cover other areas of the interior, for        example as will be described.

Referring now to FIG. 20 , there is shown a partial cross section oftote 850′. Tote 850′ is shown having lid 854, tab 864, tote enclosure852, insulating panels 870, 874 and material 890. Liner 882′ is shownhaving a flange 898 that extends up and over the top edge of insulatespanel and provides a seat for gasket or seal 878′ as well as addedprotection for panel 870. An additional lid liner 894 is provided whichsimilarly may be a suitable material, for example with low thermalconductivity like liner 882. Lid liner 894 covers panel 874 and furtherhas flange 896 that extends to protect the sides of panel 874 andfurther engages gasket or seal 878′.

Referring now to FIG. 21 , there is shown a cross section view of tote910. Referring also to FIG. 22 , there is shown a partial cross sectionview of the upper left-hand corner of tote 910 as shown in FIG. 21 .Tote 910 has insulating wall 920 nested within tote enclosure 922 andinsulating lid panel 924 secured to hinged lid 926. Insulating lid panel924 is shown covering insulating wall 920. It is noted that insulatingwall 920, 924 nests within the walls and floor of tote 820 and lid 926such that the contents within tote 910 are completely or substantiallysurrounded by insulating panels or insulation. Insert 930 is shownnested in panel 920. Insert 930 has cavity 932 that may be filled with asuitable material 936 such as a phase change material to maintain agiven set temperature point or range within tote 910. Insert 940 isshown covering panel 924. Insert 940 has cavity 942 that may be filledwith a suitable material 936 such as a phase change material to maintaina given set temperature point or range within tote 910. It is noted thatinserts 930, 940 nest within the insulating walls 920, 924 of tote 922and lid 926 such that the contents within tote 910 are completely orsubstantially surrounded by the phase change material 936 withincavities 942, 932 to maintain uniform temperature within tote 910.Gasket 948 is shown bonded or fastened to the top portion of insert 930where gasket 948 substantially or completely seals the circumference ofinsert 940 and thus lid 926 to the insulated enclosure to prevent heatleakage when lid 926 is closed. As seen in FIG. 22 , liner 930 is shownhaving a flange 952 that extends up and over the top edge of insulatedpanel 920 and provides a seat for gasket or seal 948 as well as addedprotection for panel 870. Lid liner 940 covers panel 924 and extends toseal against gasket 948.

Referring now to FIG. 23 , there is shown a cross section view of tote960. Referring also to FIG. 24 , there is shown a partial cross sectionview of the upper left-hand corner of tote 960 as shown in FIG. 23 .Tote 960 has features similar to tote 910 but where tote 960 hasinsulating wall 962 nested within tote enclosure 964 extends verticallyup to lid 966 such that insulating wall 968 is nested within insulatingwall 962.

Referring now to FIG. 25 , there is shown a cross section of tote 1010in a storage nest location 1012. Referring also to FIG. 26 , there isshown a side view of tote 1010 in a storage nest 1012. Tote 1010 hastabs 1014, 1016 on hinged lid 1018 of tote 1010. Ramp 1020 and storagelocation 1012 are coupled to the storage structure or any suitablestructure where ramp 1020 and storage location 1012 are passivecomponents. Ramp 1020 is shown with an S shaped profile with a small gap1024 between the elevation or level where tab 1024 resides when lid 1018is closed and the lower end of ramp 1020 (also referred to as theleading edge of ramp 1020). Tote 1010 enters the storage location 1012with lid 1018 closed and as tote 1010 is pushed in direction 1026, tab1014 engages the leading edge of ramp 1020 and as tote 1010 is pushed tothe position shown in FIG. 26 , tab 1014 and hence lid 1018 is liftedopen 1030 exposing the interior of tote 1010 to the conditioned airsurrounding tote 1010. The conditioned air then enters the interior oftote 1010 passively or may be forced into the interior with fan 1032where fan 1032 may be an electric fan or alternately may be an air ductforcing the same or different temperature air into tote 1010 for thepurpose of regenerating the phase change material within cavities of theinsert of tote 1010. The S-shaped profile of ramp 1020 is provided suchthat the opening and closing motion imparted to lid 1018 has uniformacceleration and deceleration.

Referring now to FIG. 27 , there is shown an end view of Bot 1044 withinstructure 1042 where Bot 1044 has tote 1010 as a payload. Referring alsoto FIG. 28 , there is shown an end view of Bot 1044 within structure1042 where Bot 1044 has transferred tote 1010 to left storage location1012 or right storage location 1040 opposite of left storage location1012. Left storage location 1012 and right storage location 1040 haveramps 1020 and 1045 respectively where storage locations 1012, 1040 andramps 1020 and 1045 are grounded to structure 1042. Bot 1044 has thecapability of transferring (storing or retrieving) tote 1010 either toleft storage location 1012 or right storage location 1040 by pushingtote 1010 into either storage location or pulling tote 1010 from eitherstorage location. When pushed to the left, tab 1014 engages ramp 1020 toopen the lid of tote 1010. When pulled from the left, tab 1014disengages engages ramp 1020 to close the lid of tote 1010. Similarly,when pushed to the right, tab 1016 engages ramp 1046 to open the lid oftote 1010. When pulled from the right, tab 1016 disengages ramp 1046 toclose the lid of tote 1010. The weight of the lid of the tote issufficient to fully close the lid against the sides of the tote to sealthe interior of the tote when positioned on the bot 1044. In this mannerthe lid of tote 1010 is opened and closed with the Bot being the activecomponent to open and close the lid. In this embodiment, the tote 1010may have two tabs 1014, 1016. In alternate embodiments, a single tab maybe provided.

Referring now to FIG. 29 , there is shown process flow diagram 1100 thatshows a cycle a given tote goes through for regen. Totes need periodicservicing that may include cleaning, inspecting, dimensional checks orotherwise (step 1102). Clean totes are inducted into the structure (step1104) and retrieved by Bots (step 1106). The MCS allocates totes foreither chilled, ambient or frozen (step 1108). Here, chilled and frozentotes may utilize the insulated totes with regenerating phase changematerial contained within the tote liner, where ambient totes do notnecessarily require the insulated structure. In the event the tote isdesignated for chilled, a Bot transports the tote to chilled storage(step 1112). The tote is placed and the lid opened as explained above(step 1114). The tote is held in an idle state for a designated periodof time until the insert is regenerated (step 1116) at which point thetote can be used to fulfill chilled orders. When the tote is requiredfor a chilled order, the tote is picked by a Bot (step 1118) andtransported to a picking station (step 1120) where the lid is opened(step 1122). While at the workstation, chilled items are inserted intothe chilled tote until the chilled portion of the order is completed(step 1124). When completed, the tote is transported back to chilledstorage (step 1126) until the complete order is ready to be fulfilled.

In the event the tote is designated for frozen, a Bot transports thetote to frozen storage (step 1152). The tote is placed and the lidopened (step 1154). The tote is held in an idle state for a designatedperiod of time until the insert is regenerated (step 1156) at whichpoint the tote can be used to fulfill frozen orders. When the tote isrequired for a frozen order, the tote is picked by a Bot (step 1158) andtransported to a picking station (step 1160) where the lid is opened(step 1162). While at the workstation, frozen items are inserted intothe frozen tote until the frozen portion of the order is completed (step1164). When completed, the tote is transported back to frozen storageuntil the complete order is ready to be fulfilled (step 1166).

In the event the tote is designated for ambient, a Bot transports thetote to ambient storage (step 1132). Ambient storage locations may ormay not have ramps 1020, 1046 described above. The tote is placed at astorage location (step 1134) and held (step 1136) until needed tofulfill an ambient order at which point the tote can be used. When thetote is required for an ambient order, the tote is picked by a Bot (step1138) and transported to a picking station (step 1140) where the lid isopened. While at the workstation, ambient items are inserted into thetote until the ambient portion of the order is completed (step 1144).When completed, the tote is transported back to ambient storage (step1146) until the complete order is ready to be fulfilled.

When the order is ready to be fulfilled, totes from chilled, frozenand/or ambient are combined (step 1170) and the order fulfilled (step1172). Order fulfillment may be completed by totes being presented to acustomer, for example where a Bot transports the tote to a portal forthe customer to open the tote(s) and remove the contents. Alternately,the tote(s) may be dispensed and transported by truck, associate orotherwise to fulfill the order. If the tote needs service (step 1174) itis transported to dispense (step 1176). The tote is then dispensed (step1178) so it can be serviced. If the tote does not need service, it isretrieved and transported back to the appropriate storage to fulfill thenext order.

Referring now to FIG. 30 , there is shown process flow diagram 1200 thatshows a cycle a given tote goes through for regen. Totes need periodicservicing that may include cleaning, inspecting, dimensional checks orotherwise (step 1202). Clean totes are inducted into the structure (step1204) and retrieved by Bots (step 1206). The MCS allocates totes foreither chilled, ambient or frozen (step 1208). Here, chilled and frozentotes may utilize the insulated totes with regenerating phase changematerial contained within the tote liner where ambient totes do notnecessarily require the insulated structure. In the event the tote isdesignated for chilled or frozen, a Bot transports the tote to frozenstorage (step 1212). The tote is placed and the lid opened (step 1214).Chilled totes are held in an idle state for a chilled designated periodof time until the insert is regenerated (step 1216) at which point thetote can be used to fulfill chilled orders. Similarly, frozen totes areheld in an idle state for a frozen designated period of time until theinsert is regenerated at which point the tote can be used to fulfillfrozen orders. When the tote is required for a chilled order, the toteis picked by a Bot (step 1218) and transported to a picking station(step 1220) where the lid is opened (step 1222). While at theworkstation, chilled items are inserted into the chilled tote until thechilled portion of the order is completed (step 1244). When completed,the tote is transported back to chilled storage until the complete orderis ready to be fulfilled (step 1246).

When the tote is required for a frozen order, the tote is picked by aBot (step 1224) and transported to a picking station where the lid isopened. While at the workstation, frozen items are inserted into thefrozen tote until the frozen portion of the order is completed (step1226). When completed, the tote is transported back to frozen storageuntil the complete order is ready to be fulfilled (step 1228).

In the event the tote is designated for ambient, a Bot transports thetote to ambient storage (step 1230). The tote is placed (step 1232) andheld until needed to fulfill an ambient order (step 1234) at which pointthe tote can be used. When the tote is required for an ambient order,the tote is picked by a Bot (step 1236) and transported to a pickingstation (step 1238) where the lid is opened. While at the workstation,ambient items are inserted into the tote until the ambient portion ofthe order is completed (step 1240). When completed, the tote istransported back to ambient storage until the complete order is ready tobe fulfilled (step 1242).

When the order is ready to be fulfilled, totes from chilled, frozenand/or ambient are combined (step 1260) and the order fulfilled (step1262). If the tote needs service (step 1264) it is transported todispense (step 1266). The tote is then dispensed (step 1268) so it canbe serviced. If the tote does not need service, it is retrieved andtransported back to the appropriate storage to fulfill the next order.

The foregoing detailed description has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the description to the precise form disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Thedescribed embodiments were chosen in order to best explain theprinciples of the claimed system and its practical application tothereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the claimedsystem in various embodiments and with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the method be defined by the claims appended hereto.

We claim:
 1. A system for transporting and storing a container in anautomatic storage and retrieval facility, the container comprisingmaterial within an interior of the container to chill the interior ofthe container below ambient temperature, the system comprising: astorage location for storing the container, the storage locationcomprising: a cold air source configured to cool and regenerate thematerial to a temperature below a predetermined phase transitiontemperature of the material, and a structure affixed to the storagelocation configured to open a lid of the container to allow access tothe material within the interior of the container facilitatingregeneration of the material by the cold air source.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the structure is a passive, stationary structureconfigured to engage and open the lid as the container is transferredinto the storage location.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thestructure is configured to close the lid as the container is transferredaway from the storage location.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein thestructure comprises a stationary curved ramp configured to engage tabsin the lid as the lid is transferred into the storage location.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the cold air source comprises at least one ofa fan and a duct configured to direct cold air toward the container whenpositioned in the storage location.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinthe cold air source comprises an enclosed refrigerated space in whichthe storage location is located.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein thecold air source is configured to deliver cold air at a first temperaturewhere the container is to store chilled goods, and the cold air sourceis configured to deliver cold air at a second temperature, colder thanthe first temperature, where the container is to store frozen goods at atemperature colder than the chilled goods.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the storage location comprises a first storage location, thecontainer comprises a first container, the material comprises a firstmaterial, the cold source comprises a first cold source configured todeliver cold air at a first temperature, and the structure comprises afirst structure, the system further comprising: a second storagelocation for storing a second container, the second container comprisinga second material within an interior of the second container to chillthe interior of the second container to a temperature below a chilledtemperature of the first container, the second storage locationcomprising: a second cold air source configured to cool and regeneratethe second material to a temperature below a predetermined phasetransition temperature of the second material, and a second structure atthe second storage location configured to open a lid of the secondcontainer to allow access to the second material within the interior ofthe second container facilitating regeneration of the second material bythe second cold air source.
 9. A system for transporting and storing acontainer in an automatic storage and retrieval facility, the containercomprising material within an interior of the container to chill theinterior of the container below ambient temperature, the systemcomprising: a storage location for storing the container, the storagelocation comprising: a cold air source configured to cool and regeneratethe material to a temperature below a predetermined phase transitiontemperature of the material, and a ramp at the storage locationconfigured to engage a lid of the container as the container moves toopen the lid and to allow access to the material within the interior ofthe container facilitating regeneration of the material by the cold airsource.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the ramp is a passive,stationary structure configured to engage and open the lid as thecontainer is transferred into the storage location.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the ramp is configured to close the lid as thecontainer is transferred away from the storage location.
 12. The systemof claim 10, wherein the ramp comprises a stationary curved shapeconfigured to engage tabs in the lid as the lid is transferred into thestorage location.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the cold air sourcecomprises at least one of a fan and a duct configured to direct cold airtoward the container when positioned in the storage location.
 14. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the cold air source comprises an enclosedrefrigerated space in which the storage location is located.
 15. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the cold air source is configured to delivercold air at a first temperature where the container is to store chilledgoods, and the cold air source is configured to deliver cold air at asecond temperature, colder than the first temperature, where thecontainer is to store frozen goods at a temperature colder than thechilled goods.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the storage locationcomprises a first storage location, the container comprises a firstcontainer, the material comprises a first material, the cold sourcecomprises a first cold source configured to deliver cold air at a firsttemperature, and the ramp comprises a first ramp, the system furthercomprising: a second storage location for storing a second container,the second container comprising a second material within an interior ofthe second container to chill the interior of the second container to atemperature below a chilled temperature of the first container, thesecond storage location comprising: a second cold air source configuredto cool and regenerate the second material to a temperature below apredetermined phase transition temperature of the second material, and asecond ramp at the second storage location configured to engage and opena lid of the second container to allow access to the second materialwithin the interior of the second container facilitating regeneration ofthe second material by the second cold air source.